Harvey's Corner - Harvey Firari  

Dedicated to Harvey's writings and musings on Culver and its people

A bench on the academy grounds near Eppley Auditorium - bears the following -

IN HONOR OF HARVEY FIRARI

ENGLISH TEACHER DIRECTOR OF THEATER

1952 - 1967 1968 - 1987

YOU TAUGHT WE LISTENED

YOU MADE THE DIFFERENCE

Harvey Firari, was inducted into the Fine Arts Hall of Fame at Culver Academies

Harvey Firari [also known as Dusty Rogue], who taught for many years at Culver Academy and had a monthly online column called "Small Town," has written several articles about Culver's History for his column.

Tho I did not know him persoanaly - Harvey was a unique person - with a unique wit and view on life - through his writings and columns in the Culver citizen - we were introduced to him. We saw him in Cafw Max, walking the downtown streets and his smile, his wave and nod to those he met

He also had a website at which he parked his columns - of which he said: “Small Town”(my website) will go dark at the end of November. After a seven-year run, all good things must come to an end'; its curtain call was on Oct 6, 2006 10:45:29 AM [non-working] He continued blogging as Smokeytown and on Dec 31, 2010 9:31:12 PM he bid his bloggers farwell after blogging for twenty years - because of a wicked and vicious disease as he so eloqunetly put it: - "My last few blogs have devoted space to my eye problems, mainly Macular Degeneration, a vicious disease that has wiped out the vision in my right eye and is getting close to shutting down the left eye. If you think I’m looking for sympathy, you’re wrong. By broadcasting my plight, I’m hoping that a cure will be found." - HAPPY NEW YEAR – 2011 Fare thee well, For I must leave thee. Do not let my parting Grieve thee. Why should it make you sad? After all, I’ve been blogging for TWENTY YEARS. “As you travel the next ten thousand miles, may the road rise to meet you, may the wind be ever at your back, may the sunshine warm upon on your face, and the rains fall soft upon your fields.” -- an Irish blessing --- SOMETHING WICKED - August 2010

His columns I have found on Culver history and people were from "http:/ smokytown.typepad. com/smokytown/" are:

Maxinkuckee Playhouse (1950-1961) Part 1
Maxinkuckee Playhouse (1950-1961) Part 3
One Teacher's Reward - George C. Heninger
So Long, Culver; Hello, Cazenovia

Harvey E. Firari Department: English Position: Instructor - Vedette Advisor Service: 1952 - 1987 Living in: Cazenovia, New York MIlitary: United States Air Force, 1942-1946, European Theatre of Operations College: Carroll College, Waukesha, Wisconsin, 1950 B.A.; Northwestern University, 1951 Master of Arts; Indiana University M.A. Consultant: National Commission English, Boston, 1965

Assistant Instructor. What a dynamic instructor! Later he would make an impact for our sons and daughters as director of the theatre, playwright-in-residence, Chairman of the Fine Arts Department, and a member of the National Book Critics Circle.

He is the author of fourteen full-length plays and numerous one-act plays, Harvey (Dusty Rogue)

Crosscut Night, Philip Sandan, Yew Trilogy, Cocktails at Carter's Junction, The Bridegrooms, Vagabond From Indiana, Uncle Jamesie, A Smash Hit, Oh! Johnny!, Patio II & Patio III, Hot Dogs, Teddy, Erma, A Final Summer. (church skits) Buffaloed, Lonesome George, Out of Body, Triple Play, Good Sam, Crosstalk, others. (screenplays) Saints and Heretics, Great Black Hunter, Slam Jackson.

had another book published entitled Ten Unusual Plays for Christian Youth, a collection of "sermon starters."

Ten Unusual Plays for Christian Youth Paperback by Harvey Firari (Author) Paperback: 112 pages Publisher: Vantage Pr; 1 edition (September 1999) Language: English ISBN-10: 0533129176 ISBN-13: 978-0533129171 Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.7 inches

During October of 1998, the town of Culver held its first scarecrow contest. At that time, I was writing a column for the local paper and decided to cover the contest by creating a crow called D. J. Raven, who on his way to the r adio station crosses paths with some of the scarecrows. He hurries to his post to broadcast a warning that strange creatures had invaded the town. He orders his listeners in Birdland to lay low while he examines the threatening aliens from outer space. What he discovers pretty much constitutes the plot of Big Scare in Small Town. At the conclusion of the column, I wondered if some artist in the community would like to collaborate on turning out a book. Years ago, Esther Powers Miller had lent me the services of her children to appear in plays that I was directing for the Culver Academies. Yes, she would lend me her artistic ability to illustrate the book and began by experimenting with wonderful scarecrow note cards. Only one scarecrow in the book was not among the entries in the scarecrow contests, and I hope you’ll buy the book to guess which one is the interloper. Thanks to Esther’s artistry the book is a best-seller in this area, with a readership from ages four to eighty four, and may be ordered on the Internet (please Google) or purchased at her shop on Main Street in Culver.

Before attending college, he served four years during World War II in the Army Air Forces that included duty in North Africa and Italy. He completed his postgraduate drama study at Yale University.

He directed ninety plays at Culver. Check out Harvey's humorous and insightful musings at http:/www.small-town.net/ Small Town, USA. Harvey retired in 1987 and now lives in Cazenovia, New York.

Firari, Harvey was born on October 30, 1921 in Juneau, Wisconsin, United States. Son of William Herman and Emma (Eckstaedt) Firari

Harvey Firari passed away peacefully as his son, Bob, recited the 23rd Psalm on July 20, 2016. Harvey was 94 years old, a Veteran of WWll, a teacher, director, playwright, mentor, and loving father, grandfather and great grandfather.

He is survived by his two children, Robert Allen Firari and Fairlie Allen Firari, his son-in-law Bernardo Jaquez Jr.;his grandchildren Sarah Jaquez Witt; Gabriel Jaquez; Christine Jaquez-Saddock; and his great-granchildren Selah Witt, Kailyn Witt and Amelia Witt.

Firari, former Citizen columnist, dies at 94
Harvey Firari, a former Culver Citizen columnist and beloved teacher, coach, and theatre director, has died. He was 94.

Memorial service arrangements are pending as of press time.

The family has created a special Harvey E Firari Memorial Facebook page so people may leave their condolences and favorite stories.

From 1952 to 1987, Firari was a member of the Culver Academies faculty, teaching English, history, speech, and filling in as an adviser for the Roll Call, Vedette, and Quill. He also coached tennis for 15 years. He served as the chairman of the Fine Arts Department and the director of the theatre and concert series manager.

Firari is the author of 14 full-length plays and numerous one-act plays, including plays based on Indiana favorite sons James Whitcomb Riley and Ernie Pyle. He also had two books published: "Ten Unusual plays for Christian Youth," a collection of “sermon starters,” and a children’s book titled, "Big Scare in a Small Town," which focuses on the town's annual scarecrow contest.

Known for the original plays and musicals he authored while at the Academies, many of which were performed on the Eppley Auditorium stage by his students, Firari wrote in the 1980 summer issue of the Culver Alumnus that he was careful about his selections – especially the musicals.

“You tell me: Is there anything more excruciating for an audience to watch than an adolescent straining to reach the impossible note? If nothing else, let it be written on my tombstone: He Tried To Protect Audiences.”

But he was also known for his special style of directing, which reflected the teacher in him.

“I try to help the cast discover the core of the play we want to perform. What is it really about? Why was it written? Where is the author coming from?

"From the base of this fundamental understanding of work, I encourage them to explore the characterizations on their own, to try to establish for themselves the most effective tone, gesture, or bearing. We question each other: ‘Why did you do it that way?’”

Firari directed 90 plays during his tenure.

On the Academies campus, Firari was known for his love of baseball. One of his cherished possessions was a Yankees jacket when his team, the Ineppley Players, defeated a team from the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra. The jacket was donated by Yankees owner George Steinbrenner ’48. He could also be seen riding his bicycle through campus.

Firari was inducted into the Culver Academies Arts & Letters Hall of Fame in 2008. Six years earlier, a bench in his honor was placed in the Batten Quadrangle near Eppley. The legend on the bench states: “You taught. We listened. “You made the difference.”

He was known more regionally for his book reviews for the South Bend Tribune and the "Small Town USA" column in the Culver Citizen. An early adopter of technology, Firari started writing a blog in 1999, also called "Small Town," that included posts about Culver and its history. When he moved to Casenovia, N.Y., in 2004 to be near his daughter Fairlie (a 1974 Academies graduate) and her family he started writing a blog called "Smokytown."

Firari served in the Air Force from 1942-46, with overseas duty in North Africa and Italy.

He received his bachelor’s degree from Carroll College, a master’s from Northwestern University, and master’s from Indiana University. He was also a William Morris Agency fellow for Excellence in Playwriting at the Yale Drama School in 1960.

He is survived by Fairlie and son Robert.

He was preceded in death by his wife Nancy in 1985.

An archive of Firari’s works is available at Culver Academies' Huffington Library.

This story was adapted by an article by Jan Garrison of Culver Academies on news.culver.org.

- Citizen July 28 2016



photo/culver academies Harvey Firari outside Eppley Auditorium at Culver Academies.

Married March 11, 1955 Nancy Allen Birth: 1929 Death: 1985 Burial: Culver Masonic Cemetery Culver Marshall County Indiana. Children: Fairlie, Robert.

Out of Chaos--Learning
Harvey Firari
The English Journal
Vol. 48, No. 5 (May, 1959), pp. 262-265+278

Harvey Firari in the 1940 Census
First Name: Harvey
Last Name: Firari
Age at Time of Census: 18
Gend er: Male
Race: White
Ethnicity: American
Est. Birth Year: 1922

Birth Location: Wisconsin
Enumeration District: 11-23
Residence: Ward 1, Portage, Portage City, Columbia, WI
Relationship to Head of Household: Son
Other People in Household:
William Firari 48 yrs, Male
Emma Firari 51 yrs, Female
Clarence Firari 21 yrs, Male
Laverne Firari 20 yrs, Male
Harold Firari 13 yrs, Male
Marital Status: Single
Language: English
NARA Publication Number: T627 Microfilm Roll Number: 4466 Line Number: 26 Sheet: A Sheet Number: 7

Harvey Firari
BIRTH 30 Oct 1921Juneau, Dodge County, Wisconsin
DEATH 22 Jul 2016 Cazenovia, Madison County, New York
BURIAL Masonic Cemeteryulver, Marshall County, Indiana
Parents William H. Firari1891 & Emma Eckstaedt

married

Nancy Firari
BIRTH 1929
DEATH 1985
BURIAL Masonic Cemetery Culver, Marshall County, Indiana,

They had:
Fairlie Firari
Robert Firari